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NFL draft: Trading frenzy kicks off proceedings

Associated Press

Posted:
04/26/2012 09:41:48 PM PDT

Updated:
04/26/2012 11:42:36 PM PDT

With so much wheeling and dealing, maybe the NFL draft should move to Wall Street.

Minutes before Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III went 1-2 to the Colts and Redskins on Thursday night, the draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York turned into a deal-a-thon. Through the first seven picks, only Indianapolis and Washington stayed in the same draft spots they had entering the day, and eight trades were made in first round.

The Browns, Jaguars, Cowboys and Eagles all traded up. The Vikings dropped a spot and still came away with the guy they wanted.

Credit the rookie wage scale for so much buying and selling so early, with general managers making last-minute moves knowing that extravagant salaries for top picks have been replaced by a compensation plan.

Before NFL commissioner Roger Goodell opened the draft, Minnesota swapped its No. 3 choice for Cleveland's No. 4 pick, with the Vikings also getting fourth, fifth and seventh rounders. After the Browns went for Alabama running back Trent Richardson, and before the Vikings took USC tackle Matt Kalil, Florida neighbors Tampa Bay and Jacksonville swung a deal.

Cleveland coach Pat Shurmur said the Browns were convinced a team would leapfrog them to take Richardson, so they pulled the trigger on the 4-for-1 trade.

The Jaguars moved up to No. 5 from No. 7 and grabbed wide receiver Justin Blackmon. The Buccaneers, at No. 7, chose Alabama safety Mark Barron, and also acquired the Jaguars' fourth-round choice.

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The St. Louis Rams made a second trade of their first-round pick. The Rams traded the No. 2 overall pick to the Washington Redskins last month and were set to select sixth. But Dallas traded its No. 14 choice and a second-rounder to the Rams and grabbed LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne with No. 6.

The Cowboys came into the draft desperate for defensive playmakers, and Claiborne is considered by most as the best cornerback available.

Tampa Bay general manager Mark Dominik said he wanted Barron all along at No. 5 but felt he could deal down and still get the All-American who was a vital cog in the nation's best defense last season.

"I was a little nervous, though, when the Cowboys moved up to No. 6," he said.

Deals weren't done yet. Philadelphia, looking to strengthen its defensive line, moved up three spots to No. 12 by making a trade with Seattle and selecting Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox.

Cardinals: Michael Floyd calls Larry Fitzgerald his mentor. Both are from the Minneapolis area, and Fitzgerald dearly wanted Floyd as a teammate.

The wish was granted when Arizona made Floyd the 13th player drafted, a choice that gives the team a big, talented player expected to be the No. 2 wide receiver behind Fitzgerald. With Fitzgerald at 6-foot-3 and the newcomer from Notre Dame maybe a half-inch shorter, it's potentially a formidable tandem.

Seahawks: Seattle pulled off a major first-round stunner when it selected Bruce Irvin, a pass rushing specialist out of West Virginia, with the 15th overall pick.

At 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds with explosive speed off the edge, Irvin was considered a likely second-day pick, but that didn't stop the Seahawks from taking the player they think can bring the most impact at a spot where Seattle needed help.

"This is the kind of guy that puts fear in offensive tackles," coach Pete Carroll said.

Redskins: The selection of quarterback Robert Griffin III, the Heisman Trophy winner from Baylor, was welcomed with chants of "R-G-3!" inside Radio City Music Hall. Targeting Griffin all the way, Washington traded three first-round picks and a second-rounder to St. Louis last month to move into the No. 2 slot.

"It would have been pretty interesting to see the Redskins trade up to No. 2 right here in this room and see my reaction, but I'm not mad about it. A team said they loved me and they let everyone know early on that they wanted me, so they traded up and made it happen, so I'm not mad about that," Griffin said as the first-round selections continued. "A lot of guys in this room right now are feeling a lot of anxiety."

Chiefs: Kansas City filled one of its biggest needs with a massive gamble. The Chiefs selected Memphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe with the No. 11 pick, taking a mammoth run stuffer whose raw ability and impressive numbers from the scouting combine trumped his modest on-field production.

Poe, 6-foot-4 and 346 pounds, pushed 44 reps with 225 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash in an unofficial time of 4.98 seconds. But he was only second-team All-Conference USA after making 33 stops, eight tackles for loss and one sack, flying under the radar most of last season.

"We think he's a good player. I think that's probably the best way to put it," general manager Scott Pioli said.